July, 2024

 

EXECUTIVE ORGANIZATION

   BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  President – Toby Kravet – 808-224-1065
  Vice President - Anita Hodges
  Treasurer - Jonathan Carr
  Secretary - Sandra Robbins
  Michiro Iwanaga
  Alan Teramura
  Caroline Sluyter
  Mike Tsutsui
  Karl See
  Nicole De-Witt

   -----------------------------------------
  Newsletter Editor
  Toby Kravet

(Click on Contacts for e mail addresses)

CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

Every Monday evening (except on holidays and, of course, during Hawaii Ski Week), at 4:30 PM, a group of ski club members and their friends play tennis at Keehi Lagoon Courts, off  Lagoon Drive.  Stay in shape and enjoy a "careful social hour" afterwards.

August 4 (Sunday) 3:00 PM Lawn Party at the Withy's in Kailua.  Pot Luck and BYOB. This will substitute for an August General Membership Meeting.

August 17 (Saturday) 8:00 AM  Volunteer activity packing food for schools at the Hawaii Foodbank.  See below for details including instructions for sign-up.

September 5 (Thursday)  5:00 PM  General Membership Meeting at Mangiamo.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE:

As you can see from the schedule above, we are not doing much this summer:  That's because people are traveling.  Also, the first Thursday of next month, normally the day for our General Membership Meeting, is July 4th.  We've been upstaged.  What nerve?!!   It's altogether possible that we might sneak in a Pau Hana at some point before the summer is up so watch your email.   Since the last Newsletter, the registration form for the 2025 Canada trips, Sun Peaks and Revelstoke, has been online at https://meetups.ski.com/hawaii-ski-club-2025 as was announced by email on June 5.  Complete plans for Revelstoke are still pending and will depend upon how many want to go.  I signed up for Sun Peaks alone shortly after the form became available and found it pretty easy to navigate:  Although I had one or two questions in the process of completing it, they were answered by the end.   Kudos to the Trip Committee and Ski.com.  Also, more complete information on our volunteer effort at the Foodbank on August 17 is available below:  If you want to help out, please fill out the online form and advise Mike that you have done so.  Also below is information on our social event for August, which was erroneously announced in the last Newsletter as being scheduled for July.  Not having received any suggestions for a new General Membership Meeting venue, we are presently planning to return to Mangiamo on September 5.  If you do have a suggestion for an alternative, let us know:  Remember, the venue should be centrally located; have free parking; have a relatively quiet corner where we can make announcements, etc.; have reasonable prices for food and drink; be willing to give us separate checks; and be willing to seat us as we walk in and not as a complete group, arriving at the same time, with advance reservations.  These last 2 criteria have proved to be stumbling blocks with other venues and got us 86ed from one.  Finally, I'd like to welcome new members Bonnie Seto, Jon Myers, and Jadu Jagel:  Hope to meet you at a local activity or on one of our trips. 

TOBY

UPCOMING SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:

LAWN PARTY
AT THE WITHYS
156F N. Kalaheo Ave.
August 4 (Sunday) 3 PM

Major mahalo to Todd and Malia Withy for inviting us to their home near the beach for a Sunday afternoon get together.  This will substitute for an August General Membership Meeting and is both POT LUCK & BYOB.   Also, be sure to bring your own folding chair to sit on the lawn and wear a swim suit and bring a towel if you wish to take a dip in the ocean which is right down a short street from the house.  While there is no parking on North Kalaheo Ave., there should be parking on the side streets across the street, i.e. mountain side, and in easy walking distance.   Further tips on parking and/or related matters will be announced closer to the event.  Hope to see you at the Withys on August 4th.

TOBY

VOLUNTEERING TO PACK FOOD
AT
THE HAWAII FOODBANK
2611 KILIHAU ST.
HONOLULU, HI.  96819
August 17 (Saturday) 8 AM - 12 PM

The Food 4 Keiki (F4K) program provides bags of food for our school pantry program across Oahu and Kaua`i. On Saturday, August 17, 8 am – 12 pm we will be packing about 7,000 bags of food at our warehouse, 2611 Kilihau St, Honolulu, HI 96819and we anticipate the packing will run for the full 4-hour shift. Please arrive with enough time to find parking and sign in before the briefing at 8 am. ALL VOLUNTEERS are required to fill out the online volunteer application form if they have not done so before: https://www.volgistics.com/appform/348316126 .

Please email me, mike@hawaiisnowskiclub.com  once the form has been completed and submitted so I can keep track of the count for our club.

(And wear a Ski Club tee shirt if you have one---We want to "show our colors." --Toby)

MIKE

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
MANGIAMO BY 604
NAVY MARINE GOLF COURSE
943 VALKENBURGH ST.
September 5  (Thursday) 5 PM

This will be our first regular General Membership Meeting since June. Although the meeting itself won't start until 5:30 PM, we'd like you to get there a bit earlier so you can get situated and order your food and drink.  We like to get our business out of the way before the live music starts and makes announcements difficult.  If you haven't yet been to Mangiamo, it is opposite the airport and off of Valkenburgh Street which runs between Nimitz Highway (under the viaduct) and Radford Drive.  Drive almost all the way to Radford Drive and you'll see the entrance to the right.  Mangiamo is on the second floor of the golf course's club house.  See you there.

TOBY

SKI TRIPS FOR 2025:

CANADA

 Ski Week 2025 - Sun Peaks Resort, BC - 1/18/25 to 1/25/25
           Revelstoke Extension (optional) - 1/25/25 - 1/31/25

The Hawaii Ski Club Trip Committee is pleased to provide the following link for those who want to sign up for Ski Week 2025 at the Sun Peaks Resort.

https://meetups.ski.com/hawaii-ski-club-2025


We have secured 25 rooms at the Grand and no condominium units due to the more than $400 difference per person based on quad occupancy in a two bedroom condo unit in the Grand Residences. Not knowing how much interest there is in the condo units, the trip committee has elected not to secure any due to the non-refundable deposits required. These condo units are still available and if you desire to reserve them you can contact Marcie Hawks directly at marcie.hawks@ski.com. You must get your group together before contacting Marcie as single requests to stay in the condo units will not be accepted.

The Revelstoke Extension is accessed in the "ACTIVITIES" tab in the link. At this time, ground IS included in the package. Once people start signing up, ground cost will be determined and refunded to those not exercising that option.

Of course, as a member in good standing, you are welcome to meet us at Sun Peaks making your own arrangements and the Activity Fee will be $100.00 to participate in the Club Trip Activities.

THE RESORTS

SUN PEAKS

4,270 ACRES (2nd largest in Canada)
Summit elevation – 7,060’
Base elevation – 4,116’
139 Tails - 10% Novice
58% Intermediate
32% Advanced and Expert
13 lifts, including 3 high speed quad chairlifts, 4 quad chairlifts, and 6 surface lifts
237” average annual snowfall
On the IKON pass

The Hawaii Ski Club has visited the resort before and the village is similar in size to Big White in Kelowna. We stayed in the adjacent property at the Cahilty. The mountain is basically an intermediate mountain similar to what we experienced in Steamboat with less people. From village-center hotels, to private condos and vacation homes—each have a unique personality of their own, and many have ski-in/ski-out access. You can ski and ride through a winter wonderland village where everything is centrally located, and right from your favorite trails to bars, restaurants, cafιs, shops, and back to your lodge. With over 15 on and off mountain eateries and bars there is an abundant choice of venues to try out.

Our hotel, the Sun Peaks Grand Hotel and Conference Center, provides ski-in/ski out accommodations and is rated four stars with 2 restaurants.

Sun Peaks is a 45 minute drive (35 miles) to Kamloops, BC. Kamloops populations is 100,000 and has a Costco.

REVELSTOKE

Revelstoke Mountain Resort is a ski resort on Mount Mackenzie, just outside Revelstoke, British Columbia in Canada. It is owned by Northland Properties.

3,121 acres
Summit Elevation – 7,677’
Base Elevation – 1.679’
75 Trails – 12% Novice
43% Intermediate
45% Advanced and Expert
4 Bowls
One Gondola, Four Chairs and Two Surface Lifts
414” average annual snowfall
On the IKON Pass

Skiers and snowboarders return year after year to feel the thrill of the steep, get lost in the pow, and lap the Stoke until their tank is empty. Known for the longest vertical descent in North America at 5,620 feet, Revelstoke attracts winter adventurers from all over the world. Don't miss your chance to experience the hype this winter! Grab your gear, friends, and passes, and meet us on the mountain! Enjoy endless acres of skiable terrain, free refills on snow, and steep thrills. From wide-open alpine bowls to perfectly spaced glades, we've got something for everyone. The real challenge is making sure your legs can keep up! The resort is well known for it’s Heli Skiing for those who want to partake.

Our accommodations at the Sutton Place Hotel include one and two bedroom condominium units with full kitchen. It is rated four stars and located slopeside and provides ski in/ski out access to the slopes and is located in the mountain village. Unlike the Sun Peak Village, it is small with only three restaurants. The town of Revelstoke is a fifteen minute free shuttle ride where there over 40 dining options. It has a grocery store the size of a Safeway for those who want to bring items back to the condo and cook

Revelstoke is a 3-1/2 hour bus ride from Sun Peaks but actually closer the Kelowna Airport where you will be flying out of.

The Trip Committee – Nicole DeWitt, Susan Law & Geof Chu will make every effort to provide members with an enjoyable trip and best wishes for an injury free and safe week. SEE YOU AT SUN PEAKS!


GEOF

JAPAN

AIR & SEA TRAVEL CENTER

2025 Hawaii Ski Club to Nagano and Hokkaido

Shiga Kogen is 160 miles north of Tokyo in the Nagano ski area of the main island of Honshu. Rather than a single large ski resort it consists of
21 ski resorts with 70+ lifts connected by a shuttle bus and single lift ticket, making it the largest ski resort in Japan. While the majority of the resort is under 4,000 ft., the highest peak is over 7,400 ft. making Skiga Kogen also the ski resort with the highest lift in Japan. Powder Hound ranks it as the best intermediate ski resort in Japan and the 9th best ski resort overall in Japan.

The Prince Hotel is located in Yakebitaiyama, the largest of the Shiga Kogen villages and host to several downhill events during the 1998 Nagano Olympics. We will be staying in the newest of the hotel buildings and our package includes daily buffet breakfast and 3 buffet dinners. The Jigokudani Monkey Park, where the famous snow monkeys reside are about 30 minutes away from the hotel by bus. We have only 25 double occupancy hotel rooms available so book early.

Instead of a ski resort with a nearby town, Rusutsu is a huge Convention Center complex with shops, restaurants and hotel rooms all under one roof. A fabulous new onsen featuring several indoor pools at different temperatures including a cold plunge, and outdoor lay flat pools lets snow fall on you as you soak in the hot mineral springs water. Our hotel package includes a daily breakfast buffet, where you could choose between delicious Japanese or Western style food for breakfast or you could eat Chinese style buffet or a set menu Japanese breakfast. We also have 3 buffet dinners on alternate nights where we could sit together and talk story.

Rusutsu consists of three mountains, West Mountain which is ski in ski out from the resort complex, East Mountain accessed by a gondola from the resort and Mt Isola, accessible by gondola and hooded chair lifts. The further you go away from the hotel complex the fewer people you encounter, making it possible to find fresh, untracked powder even after several days without snowfall. Rusutsu is famous for its long wide runs with easy access to its renowned tree skiing down into the valleys. There also is night skiing available if you didn't get enough skiing during the day. For dinner you could choose from 7 restaurants featuring French, Chinese, Italian, Seafood, Japanese, pub and buffet style dinners, including all you can eat crab legs, scallops on the half shell and wagu beef. We have reservations for 25 double occupancy hotel rooms and these always sell out every year.


Travel Date                  Price per person              Single Supplement
Per person
Group 1 Feb 15 –          Feb 23, 2025 (7 Nights)   $ 3050 $ 1250
Group 2 Feb 22 –          Mar 2, 2025 (7 Nights)    $ 3510 $ 885
Combo Feb 15 –           Mar 2, 2025 (14 Nights)   $ 5190 $ 2050


Group 1 (Feb 15 – Feb 23, 2025)
Package included:
• Round Trip International Air by Japan Airlines
1 JL 073 15FEB HONOLULU – HANEDA 11:40AM – 03:55PM 16FEB
2 JL 072 23FEB HANEDA – HONOLULU 09:55PM – 09:40AM 23FEB
• Double Occupancy Hotel rooms at the Shiga Kogen Prince Hotel East Tower with breakfast (7 nights)
• Private Bus transfer from Haneda Airport to & from Shiga Kogen Prince Hotel with driver on Feb.15 &
Feb.23
• 5 Days Lift Ticket


Group 2 (Feb 22 – Mar 2, 2025)
Package included:
• Round Trip International Air by Japan Airlines
1 JL 073 22FEB HONOLULU – HANEDA 11:40AM – 03:55PM 23FEB
2 JL 529 23FEB HANEDA – CHITOSE 07:40PM – 09:15PM 23FEB
3 JL 520 02MAR CHITOSE – HANEDA 05:30PM – 07:15PM 02MAR
4 JL 072 02MAR HANEDA – HONOLULU 09:55PM – 09:55AM 02MAR
• Double Occupancy Hotel rooms at the Rusutsu Resort Hotel & Convention with breakfast (7 nights)
• 25 hours of lift tickets
• Buffet Dinner on Feb 24, 26 and Mar 1
• Private bus transfer from Chitose Airport to the Rusutsu Resort Hotel & Convention on Feb 23 & Mar 2


Combo (Feb 15 – Mar 2, 2025)
Package included:
• Round Trip International Air by Japan Airlines
1 JL 073 15FEB HONOLULU – HANEDA 11:40AM – 03:55PM 16FEB
2 JL 529 23FEB HANEDA – CHITOSE 07:40PM – 09:15PM 23FEB
3 JL 520 02MAR CHITOSE – HANEDA 05:30PM – 07:15PM 02MAR
4 JL 072 02MAR HANEDA – HONOLULU 09:55PM – 09:55AM 02MAR
• Double Occupancy Hotel rooms at the Shiga Kogen Prince Hotel East Tower with breakfast (7 nights)
• Double Occupancy Hotel rooms at the Rusutsu Resort Hotel & Convention with breakfast (7 nights)
• 5 Days Lift Ticket in Shiga Kogen Prince Hotel
• Buffet Dinner on Feb 24, 26 and Mar 1
• 25 hours of lift tickets in Rusutsu Resort Hotel & Convention
• Private Bus transfer from Haneda Airport to & from Shiga Kogen Prince Hotel with driver on Feb.15 &
Feb.23
• Private bus transfer from Chitose Airport to the Rusutsu Resort Hotel & Convention on Feb 23 & Mar 2


Optional:
• Buffet Dinner in Shiga Kogen Prince Hotel East Tower is JPY 9100 per person included tax (subject to
change without notice)


Remarks:
1. Fares are per person, USD based on double occupancy and include all airline taxes and fees
2. Refer to “General Condition of Air & Sea”
3. We reserve the right to modify the itinerary to ensure smooth operation
4. Tour price is subject to change according to any airfare increase, increase in government taxes, additional
fuel charges, and fluctuation of the rate of exchange between U.S. and foreign currency
5. Tour price includes fuel surcharge & government taxes and fees. The tour price shown is current at the time
of listing and pricing on May 15, 2024
6. All travelers, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, are welcome to travel with us and will no longer
be required to provide proof of pre-departure testing, except for specific countries where COVID-19
vaccination, testing, or additional documentation is required by law. Please visit or revisit the government
site to verify the travel requirements. Fully vaccinated is recommended. Vaccines combined with multilayered preventative health and safety measures will help us provide a safe and healthy vacation
environment.
7. As government regulations evolve, our health and safety protocols will evolve as needed to ensure
compliance. This may mean different protocols from state to state and city to city based on local
requirements.


Payment Policy:

CHECK OR CASH PAYMENT ONLY. A deposit of $350 per person is required at the time of application.
The balance is due on Sep 1, 2024. In the event balance payment is not made within the required time period,
Air and Sea Travel Center reserves the right to cancel reservations and charge a service fee for cancellation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cancellation Policy:

Written notice is required for any cancellation. The cancellation fee will be as follow:
** From Sep 2 to Oct 25, 2024, $350 per person is non-refundable.
** Oct 26, 2024 to Dec 17, 2024, 50% of total price plus any other service fee caused by the cancellation;
** From Dec 18, 2024 to departure or withdrawing during the tour shall be regarded as willingly giving
up all rights concerned, 100% of total price, and request for other services as a substitute shall not be
accepted.
** We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance when you make your reservation**


PAST SKI CLUB ACTIVITIES:

PAU HANA
AT
PAU HANA PLACE
CORNER OF ALA MOANA BLVD. & HOLOMANA ST.
May 23 (Thursday) 5 PM  

Somewhere around twenty Ski Clubbers braved the closure of the adjacent parking lot and made to Pau Hana Place on May 23 for an early evening of laughing, drinking, and, for some, even dancing under the stars.  Apparently a group of older Hawaiian musicians have been performing at Pau Hana Place for several months, some come to sit in, and it can easily turn into a kanikapila before the evening is pau.  Hopefully, Pau Hana Place gets to keep their lease because, except for the somewhat pricey plate lunches, it is an otherwise no cost (because it is BYOB), centrally located, very informal venue and appears to be popular with our membership.

TOBY

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

HAWAII SKI CLUB IS ON FACEBOOK

Facebook is the best way to keep current on the Hawaii Ski Club. On your Facebook page on your computer, type "Hawaii Ski Club" into the search box on the top left. On your mobile device, tap the magnifying glass at the top to get the search box.  Pictures from Ski Club activities and other items are posted as they are submitted.  You can submit your own Ski Club pictures and other items you wish posted by emailing them to anita@hawaiisnowskiclub.com

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Contributions from the membership to future newsletters are encouraged and will be greatly appreciated: Please e mail them to Toby (see Contacts) no later than 9 calendar days from the end of the month. Thanx much.

Updated club info available at http://www.hawaiisnowskiclub.com and on our Facebook page.

  June 2024 Newsletter